Ski and Snowboard

ABSTRACT

Skis and snowboards are provided. The ski or snowboard may include a first tip, a second tip, and a body. The body may be between the first tip and the second tip, and may have a width and a length, wherein the width may be variable along the length of the body. The body may include a front portion, a back portion, and a sidecut length having a turning radius of between about 50 meters and about 115 meters.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Provisional U.S. Patent ApplicationNo. 60/863,904 filed Nov. 1, 2006, entitled “SKI AND SNOWBOARD,” theentire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, for allpurposes, as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to skis and snowboards. Morespecifically the invention relates to creating shaped skis andsnowboards which provide higher performance on slopes with powdered snowaccumulations.

Typical skis and snowboards known in the art are constructed such thatthey may perform well on a variety of surfaces, and particularly on hardsurfaces such as packed and/or icy snow. Hard surfaces may be typical inareas such as the northeastern United States. However, in otherclimates, such as the Rocky Mountain region of the United States,powdered snow surfaces may be more common.

Powdered snow surfaces exhibit characteristics different from hardsurfaces. Powdered snow tends to exhibit more liquid-typecharacteristics than hard surfaces, meaning that skis and snowboardswill typically float across powdered snow, while also being subject tofluid drag forces. Additionally, turning in powder may be more difficultthan on hard surfaces because of a lack of a defined cutting surface forthe edge of the ski or snowboard. Embodiments of the present inventionsolve the aforementioned issues and other problems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the invention, a ski is provided. The ski mayinclude a first tip, a second tip, and a body between the first tip andthe second tip. The body may have a width and a length, and the widthmay be variable along the length of the body. They body may also includea front portion, a back portion and a sidecut length having a turningradius of between about 50 meters and about 115 meters.

In another embodiment of the invention, a snowboard is provided. Thesnowboard may include a first tip, a second tip, and a body between thefirst tip and the second tip. The body may have a width and a length,and the width may be variable along the length of the body. They bodymay also include a front portion, a back portion and a sidecut lengthhaving a turning radius of between about 50 meters and about 115 meters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in conjunction with the appendedfigures:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one ski embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the ski from FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of one snowboard embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the snowboard from FIG. 3;

FIG. 5A is a plan view of a portion of an edge of either a ski orsnowboard of the invention having a generally continuously curvedsidecut;

FIG. 5B is a plan view of a portion of an edge of either a ski orsnowboard of the invention having a sidecut with three linear segments;

FIG. 5C is a plan view of a portion of an edge of either a ski orsnowboard of the invention having a sidecut with both linear and curvedsegments; and

FIG. 5D is a plan view of a portion of an edge of either a ski orsnowboard of the invention having tightly curved entry and exitsegments, and a broad middle segment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is notintended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of thedisclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodimentswill provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description forimplementing one or more exemplary embodiments. It being understood thatvarious changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elementswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the appended claims.

Specific details are given in the following description to provide athorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments maybe practiced without these specific details. For example, well-knownstructures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail inorder to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

Though skis and snowboards will primarily be discussed throughout thedetailed description, it should be noted that the concepts herein arealso applicable to other snow sports equipment, including variants ofskis such as ski boards and monoskis.

In one embodiment of the invention, a ski is provided. The ski mayinclude a first tip, a second tip, and a body between the first tip andthe second tip. The body may have a width and a length, and the widthmay be variable along the length of the body. They body may also includea front portion, a back portion and a sidecut length having a turningradius of between about 50 meters and about 115 meters.

In some embodiments, the sidecut length may have a turning radius ofbetween about 81 meters and about 115 meters. In an exemplaryembodiment, the sidecut length may have a turning radius of about 112meters. If the turning radius is smaller than these ranges, thenstability at high speeds in powdered snow conditions will compromised,causing ski chatter and lack of control in turns. If the turning radiusis larger than these ranges, then turning will be increasingly difficulton hard or icy snow surfaces.

In some embodiments, the widest part of the front portion may not beequal in width to the widest part of the back portion. In an exemplaryembodiment, the widest part of the front portion may be wider than thewidest part of the back portion.

In some embodiments, the width of the body between the front portion andthe back portion may be between about 90 millimeters and about 180millimeters. In these or other embodiments, the width of the widest partof the front portion may be between about 80 millimeters and about 180millimeters. The width of the widest part of the back portion may bebetween about 70 millimeters and about 160 millimeters.

In some embodiments, the body may have a positive camber between about 0millimeters and about 6 millimeters. In an exemplary embodiment, thebody may have a positive camber of about 6 millimeters.

In some embodiments, when the ski is laying on a surface, the first tipmay rise about 90 millimeters above the surface over the last about 300millimeters to about 1000 millimeters of total ski length. In these orother embodiments, the second tip may rise about 80 millimeters abovethe surface over the last about 250 millimeters to about 800 millimetersof ski length. In some embodiments the first tip may nominally be thefront tip of the ski, and the second tip may nominally be the back tipof the ski.

In some embodiments, the first tip and/or second tip may be curved insubstantially the same radius as a portion of the body. In otherembodiments, the first tip and/or second tip may be curved in a smallerradius than a portion of the body.

In another embodiment of the invention, a snowboard is provided. Thesnowboard may include a first tip, a second tip, and a body between thefirst tip and the second tip. The body may have a width and a length,and the width may be variable along the length of the body. They bodymay also include a front portion, a back portion and a sidecut lengthhaving a turning radius of between about 50 meters and about 115 meters.

In some embodiments, the sidecut length may have a turning radius ofbetween about 81 meters and about 115 meters. In an exemplaryembodiment, the sidecut length may have a turning radius of about 112meters.

In some embodiments, the widest part of the front portion may not beequal in width to the widest part of the back portion. In an exemplaryembodiment, the widest part of the front portion may be wider than thewidest part of the back portion.

In some embodiments, the width of the body between the front portion andthe back portion may be between about 250 millimeters and about 375millimeters. In these or other embodiments, the width of the widest partof the front portion may be between about 275 millimeters and about 350millimeters. In an exemplary embodiment, the front portion may be about300 millimeters at its widest point. The width of the widest part of theback portion may be between about 275 millimeters and about 350millimeters. In an exemplary embodiment, the back portion may be about293 millimeters at its widest point.

In some embodiments, the body may have a positive camber between about 0millimeters and about 6 millimeters. In an exemplary embodiment, thebody may have a positive camber of about 6 millimeters.

In some embodiments, when the snowboard is laying on a surface, thefirst tip may rise about 64 millimeters above the surface over the lastabout 100 millimeters to about 650 millimeters of total snowboardlength. In these or other embodiments, the second tip may rise about 50millimeters above the surface over the last about 50 millimeters toabout 400 millimeters of snowboard length. In some embodiments, thefirst tip may nominally be the front tip of the snowboard, and thesecond tip may nominally be the back tip of the snowboard.

In some embodiments, the first tip and/or second tip may be curved insubstantially the same radius as a portion of the body. In otherembodiments, the first tip and/or second tip may be curved in a smallerradius than a portion of the body.

The thickness and flexibility may depend on the construction method andmaterials used to fabricate the ski or snowboard. In some embodiments,wood, glass fiber, Kevlar, titanium, polymer, plastic, metal, and/orcomposite materials may be selectively used to construct the ski orsnowboard so as to have a flexibility desirable for certain applicationsof the equipment.

Turning now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a plan and side view of one possibleski 100 of the invention is shown. Front portion 105 and rear portion110 may have a reverse sidecut on each side of the ski 100 (a reversesidecut is a curve the arcs outward at its apex from the center of theski). A portion of ski 100 between front portion 105 and rear portion110 may have a positive sidecut on each side of the ski 100 (a positivesidecut is a curve that arcs inward at its apex toward the center of theski). The geometry of front portion 105, back portion 110, and any otherportion of ski 100 may, or may not be, substantially curved. Forinstance, the portion of ski 100 between front portion 105 and rearportion 110 may include one or more linear segments and/or one or morecurved segments.

Ski 100 may have a sidecut length 115 which has a turning radius 120 ofbetween about 50 meters and about 115 meters. Sidecut length 115 mayinclude portions of front portion 105 and rear portion 110. A first tip125 and a second tip 130 may be at either ends of ski 100. The center ofski 100 may have a positive camber 135 as discussed above. Positivecamber 135 may result in the center portion of ski 100 not touching asurface beneath ski 100 when in an unloaded condition.

The widest part 150 of front portion 105 may not be equal in width tothe widest part 155 of back portion 110. In an exemplary embodiment, thewidest part 150 of front portion 105 may be wider than the widest part155 of back portion 110.

In some embodiments, when ski 100 is laying on a surface, the first tipmay rise a distance shown by dimensional arrow 140 above the surface,over some portion of the ski length. The second tip may rise a distanceshown by dimensional arrow 145 above the surface, over some portion ofthe ski length.

In FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a plan and side view of one possible snowboard 300of the invention is shown. Front portion 305 and rear portion 310 mayhave a reverse sidecut on each side of the snowboard 300 (a reversesidecut is a curve the arcs outward at its apex from the center of thesnowboard). A portion of snowboard 300 between front portion 305 andrear portion 310 may have a positive sidecut on each side of thesnowboard 300 (a positive sidecut is a curve that arcs inward at itsapex toward the center of the snowboard). The geometry of front portion305, back portion 310, and any other portion of snowboard 300 may, ormay not be, substantially curved. For instance, the portion of snowboard300 between front portion 305 and rear portion 310 may include one ormore linear segments and/or one or more curved segments.

Snowboard 300 may have a sidecut length 315 which has a turning radius320 of between about 50 meters and about 315 meters. Sidecut length 315may include portions of front portion 305 and rear portion 310. A firsttip 325 and a second tip 330 may be at either ends of the snowboard. Thecenter of snowboard 300 may have a positive camber 335 as discussedabove. Positive camber 335 may result in the center portion of snowboard300 not touching a surface beneath snowboard 300 when in an unloadedcondition.

The widest part 350 of front portion 305 may not be equal in width tothe widest part 355 of back portion 310. In an exemplary embodiment, thewidest part 350 of front portion 305 may be wider than the widest part355 of back portion 310.

In some embodiments, when snowboard 300 is laying on a surface, thefirst tip may rise a distance shown by dimensional arrow 340 above thesurface, over some portion of the snowboard length. The second tip mayrise a distance shown by dimensional arrow 345 above the surface, oversome portion of the snowboard length. Also shown on FIG. 3 are bindingmounting points 360, possibly threaded cavities. Binding mounting points360 may allow a user to couple bindings to snowboard 300.

In FIG. 5A, a plan view a portion of an edge 500A of either a ski orsnowboard of the invention is shown. Edge 500A may include a sidecut 530having a single curved perimeter. The sidecut may have a depth shown bydimensional arrow 510, and a length shown by dimensional arrow 520.Depth 510, and length 520 may correspond to a certain turning radius.Merely by way of example, a 1500 millimeter long ski or snowboard, whichhave a turning radius of 112 meters, may have a sidecut length of 600millimeters, and a sidecut depth of 0.40 millimeters. A 1750 millimeterlong ski or snowboard, which has a turning radius of 112 meters may havea sidecut length of 800 millimeters, and a sidecut depth of 0.71millimeters. By knowing two of (1) the length of the sidecut, (2) thedepth of the sidecut, and (3) the turning radius, the remaining variablecan be determined by the equation: length=2√{square root over(depth(2radius−depth))}. The length of the sidecut may be proportionalto the length of the ski or snowboard and may be between about 40% andabout 50% of the overall length of the ski and between about 25% andabout 50% of the overall length of the snowboard. In exemplaryembodiments, the length of the sidecut may be about 43% of the overalllength of the ski, and about 25% of the overall length of the snowboard.

In FIG. 5B, a plan view a portion of an edge 500B of another ski orsnowboard of the invention is shown. Edge 500B may include a sidecuthaving a three liner segments, entry and exit segments 540, andmid-segment 550. This sidecut may also have a depth shown by dimensionalarrow 510, and a length shown by dimensional arrow 520. Depth 510, andlength 520 may correspond to a certain turning radius. Though thesidecut of edge 500B has a different profile than edge 500A, if depth510 and length 520 are the same in each embodiment, similar turningradiuses may be realized. In other embodiments, different profileshaving the same dimensions may also allow for the realization ofdifferent effective turning radiuses.

In FIG. 5C, a plan view a portion of an edge 500C of another ski orsnowboard of the invention is shown. Edge 500C may include a sidecuthaving a two liner segments, entry and exit segments 560, and a curvedmid-segment 570. This sidecut may also have a depth shown by dimensionalarrow 510, and a length shown by dimensional arrow 520. Depth 510, andlength 520 may correspond to a certain turning radius. Though thesidecut of edge 500B has a different profile than edge 500A and edge500B, if depth 510 and length 520 are the same in each embodiment,similar turning radiuses may be realized. In other embodiments,different profiles having the same dimensions may also allow for therealization of different effective turning radiuses.

In FIG. 5D, a plan view a portion of an edge 500D of another ski orsnowboard of the invention is shown. Edge 500D may include a sidecuthaving a three curved segments, tightly curved entry and exit segments580, and a less-tightly curved mid-segment 590. This sidecut may alsohave a depth shown by dimensional arrow 510, and a length shown bydimensional arrow 520. Depth 510, and length 520 may correspond to acertain turning radius. Though the sidecut of edge 500D has a differentprofile than edge 500A, edge 500B, and edge 500C, if depth 510 andlength 520 are the same in each embodiment, similar turning radiuses maybe realized. In other embodiments, different profiles having the samedimensions may also allow for the realization of different effectiveturning radiuses.

The invention has now been described in detail for the purposes ofclarity and understanding. However, it will be appreciated that certainchanges and modifications may be practiced within the scope of theappended claims.

1. A ski, wherein the ski comprises: a first tip; a second tip; and abody between the first tip and the second tip, having a width and alength, wherein the width is variable along the length of the body, andwherein the body comprises: a front portion; a back portion; and asidecut length having a turning radius of between about 50 meters andabout 115 meters.
 2. The ski of claim 1, wherein the sidecut length hasa turning radius of between about 81 meters and about 115 meters.
 3. Theski of claim 1, wherein the sidecut length has a turning radius of about112 meters.
 4. The ski of claim 1, wherein the widest part of the frontportion is wider than the widest part of the back portion.
 5. The ski ofclaim 1, wherein the width of the body between the front portion and theback portion is between about 90 millimeters and about 180 millimeters.6. The ski of claim 1, wherein the width of the widest part of the frontportion is between about 80 millimeters and about 180 millimeters. 7.The ski of claim 1, wherein the width of the widest part of the backportion is between about 70 millimeters and about 160 millimeters. 8.The ski of claim 1, wherein the body has a positive camber of about 6millimeters.
 9. The ski of claim 1, wherein when the ski is laying on asurface, the first tip will rise about 90 millimeters above the surfaceover the last about 300 millimeters to about 1000 millimeters of skilength.
 10. The ski of claim 1, wherein when the ski is laying on asurface, the second tip will rise about 80 millimeters above the surfaceover the last about 250 millimeters to about 800 millimeters of skilength.
 11. The ski of claim 1, wherein the first tip is curved in asmaller radius than a portion of the body.
 12. The ski of claim 1,wherein the second tip is curved in a smaller radius than a portion ofthe body.
 13. A snowboard, wherein the snowboard comprises: a first tip;a second tip; and a body between the first tip and the second tip,having a width and a length, wherein the width is variable along thelength of the body, and wherein the body comprises: a front portion; aback portion; and a sidecut length having a turning radius of betweenabout 50 meters and about 115 meters.
 14. The snowboard of claim 13,wherein the sidecut length has a turning radius of between about 81meters and about 115 meters.
 15. The snowboard of claim 13, wherein thesidecut length has a turning radius of about 112 meters.
 16. Thesnowboard of claim 13, wherein the widest part of the front portion iswider than the widest part of the back portion.
 17. The snowboard ofclaim 13, wherein the width of the body between the front portion andthe back portion is between about 250 millimeters and about 375millimeters.
 18. The snowboard of claim 13, wherein the width of thewidest part of the front portion is between about 275 millimeters andabout 300 millimeters.
 19. The snowboard of claim 13, wherein the widthof the widest part of the front portion is about 300 millimeters. 20.The snowboard of claim 13, wherein the width of the widest part of theback portion is between about 275 millimeters and about 300 millimeters.21. The snowboard of claim 13, wherein the width of the widest part ofthe back portion is about 293 millimeters.
 22. The snowboard of claim13, wherein when the snowboard is laying on a surface, the first tipwill rise about 64 millimeters above the surface over the last about 100millimeters to about 650 millimeters of snowboard length.
 23. Thesnowboard of claim 13, wherein when the snowboard is laying on asurface, the second tip will rise about 50 millimeters above the surfaceover the last about 50 millimeters to about 400 millimeters of snowboardlength.
 24. The snowboard of claim 13, wherein the first tip is curvedin a smaller radius than a portion of the body.
 25. The snowboard ofclaim 13, wherein the second tip is curved in a smaller radius than aportion of the body.